


Light

by manicmanner



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 14:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14046321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manicmanner/pseuds/manicmanner
Summary: "She had lived in the darkness for so long that she didn't know what to do without it."Late entry to ZeLink Week 2018





	Light

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short writing exercise for myself.

The light of day was both a beautiful and terrible thing.

At first the light was wonderful. After so long fighting the darkness, being a part of the darkness, Zelda had almost given up hope of living with the sun beaming down on her again.

And then she felt Link awaken.

She desperately wanted to watch his travels, but that was when Ganon started to struggle in earnest. He knew his reign of terror was almost at an end. So she only got glimpses of Link's trials. She was aware of him, of where he traveled and a vague impression of who he met along the way, but nothing more. When there was a respite from the ongoing battle, she whispered encouragements to him, willing him to hear her as he had when he first came back to the land of the living. She knew he never heard her, but the action gave her a sense of serenity all the same and prepared her for the onslaught that was inevitable.

When Link finally defeated Ganon, when Link freed her, she reveled in the light of Hyrule. But as the high of being free left her, she started to dread the rising of the sun each morning.

She had lived in the darkness for so long that she didn't know what to do without it.

She was able to hide it from Link for a while. She planned their next steps, talking it out and using Link as a sounding board, and it distracted her. But when she would wake each morning with a grimace, Link took note.

The first morning Zelda caught him staring at her, she tried to reassure him. "It's fine. Just had a bad dream." He kept watch over her, and she knew her lies each day weren't very convincing to the warrior would had lived through nightmares himself.

While they were traveling to Hateno Village to drop some newly acquired weapons off at Link's home (a detail of his journey that Zelda hadn't known about), she tried to explain herself. She slowed her horse, allowing Link to catch up and ride alongside her. Old habits die hard, it seemed.

"I haven't been completely honest about my dreams," she admitted. 

Link gave her a look.

"I didn't want to worry you! And the dreams are a part of it, yes, but..." She wasn't sure how to put it. She would sound foolish. She was a princess, soon to be made queen; she shouldn't be afraid of such fundamental things as darkness and light. But Link waited patiently for her to continue. "When I was keeping Ganon at bay, there was nothing other than darkness. There was almost no hope. I believed that you would come back, truly, but it was hard to imagine after one hundred years. I learned to live with that darkness, as it was my only companion." 

She tried to swallow past a lump in her throat, but it didn't help. "When you finally were able to defeat Ganon, I still dreamed of that darkness. It was more... comforting than the light, in some ways." She resisted her urge to hug herself. "There's so much to do. I'm not used to having to be many things at once. I only had the one mission my entire life, and now that it's over, I'm not sure what to do."

Zelda jumped slightly when Link reached over and touched her arm lightly. But it forced her to look at him. She hadn't realized that she had been looking everywhere but him the whole time she talked. She stopped her horse at the same time he did. The spot where he touched her was warm.

"I understand," he said.

She flushed. "O-of course. I'm so sorry, you must feel the same. It seems that I haven't grown up much at all and am still quite selfish and--"

"Princess."

Zelda stopped rambling. Link so rarely spoke that she always was at attention when he did. "It's okay to be afraid," he said. He looked like he was choosing his words carefully. "I was, too. You learn to appreciate things again.The light was too much after sleeping for so long, but there are things that can't be found in the dark."

Zelda's heart fluttered a bit. "Oh?" She internally shook her head. She had hoped her infatuation with the hero had gone away after her long battle, but apparently not. It was another thing she was afraid of.

Link gave her a small smile. Zelda's blush wasn't going away anytime soon, she was sure. "Yes." He moved his hand from her arm to her hand, holding it lightly. He gave her a questioning look and Zelda, although hesitant, nodded. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a light kiss on the back of it. "There's always something."

He let go of her hand and kicked his horse into action. Zelda laughed in astonishment after him. There was a moment where she watched him ride up the hill ahead of them before she closed her eyes. She tilted her head back to bask in the heat of the sun, the light breeze that traveled across the valley. And then she followed after her hero with a smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Courtly love!Zelink is my favorite, so don't mind me.
> 
> Feedback and criticisms are always welcome!


End file.
